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Rehabilitation

Services

Holy Family Hospital Rehabilitation Program

HFH is one of the largest referral centers for rehabilitation in British Columbia. The facility houses a 65-bed inpatient rehabilitation unit and extensive treatment areas that facilitate more than 15,000 outpatient visits annually. The program offers intensive therapy for older adults to overcome deficits caused by strokes, orthopedic trauma or major surgeries like hip, ankle or knee replacements and leg amputations. The program is designed to help clients restore reversible deficits or adapt to permanent deficits. Clients also learn skills and attitudes that will help them manage with diminished capacity, such as Easy Street™— a simulated community that allows patients to practice essential life skills in a safe, challenging and realistic environment. Easy Street includes an Activities of Daily Living Suite, which is used for patients preparing to return home. Visit our HFH section for more information, including patient handbooks in English, Punjabi and Traditional Chinese.

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Research

Physical medicine and rehabilitation, or physiatry, is a branch of medicine dealing with functional restoration of a person affected by physical disability. The Division of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation within Providence consists of three physiatrists: Dr. Michael Vondette, clinical assistant professor; Dr. Herman Lau, clinical instructor; and Dr. Elliott Weiss, division head and clinical instructor.

Dr. Vondette’s area of interest includes rehabilitation of patients with hip and knee replacements. He also has a strong interest in rehabilitation and disability issues associated with closed head injuries. Dr. Lau’s inpatient interest includes chronic pain and rehabilitation of elders suffering hip fractures as well as elective hip and knee replacements. He is a member of the Chronic Pain Service at St. Paul’s Hospital and participates in inpatient and outpatient assessment of patients with chronic pain. Dr. Weiss provides specialized rehabilitation services for young adults up to elders. His inpatient areas of interest include neuro-rehabilitation, amputee rehabilitation and musculoskeletal rehabilitation. He is involved in neuro-electrophysiological studies in the form of EMG and nerve conduction studies. His sub-specialized areas of interest include the late effects of polio, lymphedema and the delivery of rehabilitation services in an acute setting. Dr. Weiss is currently involved in the early stages of a research study evaluating disability needs in rural aboriginal communities.

Teaching

The division is involved in teaching at the undergraduate and postgraduate level. This includes residents in physical medicine and rehabilitation that spend a two-month block participating in stroke and prosthetic/orthotic rehabilitation. Geriatric medicine fellows rotate through our program with a two-month block as part of their 24-month fellowship program. One to two month preceptorships are also available for Family Practice physicians/fellows who are involved in a six-month to one-year geriatric medicine fellowship. Electives are available for medical students and out-of-province residents as well. For more information on physical medicine and rehabilitaiton, please explore the Canadian Association of Physical Medicine Rehabilitation.

Careers

For more information about working at Providence Health Care and for current employment opportunities, please visit our Careers site.

There's a very nice atmosphere here - a feeling of kindness and caring. It's almost contagious when you come in here. People who work at St. Paul's all feel it. Our volunteers are proud to wear their red vest. It's satisfying to feel needed. ”